This is War
by HopeCoppice
Summary: Spoilers up to 4x03. Written pre-4x04. Erin and Adze are at war, but is Vlad really a prize worth fighting over? Adze is a main character, but sadly not on the list! Some het, some slash. Multichapter fic.
1. Chapter 1

**New story! Written over the course of two nights so it's not particularly polished. Also written before 4x04 aired and no, I still haven't seen that. Still, hopefully it'll be fixed soon. Hope you enjoy it. There will be at least one slash ship later in the story. Het ships to start.**

**SPOILERS UP TO 4x03.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show - if I did, I'd have seen it.**

"This is war." Adze was right in her face, and Erin was furious. How dare this _princess_ act as if she had any right to take Vlad from her? She wasn't intimidated. Adze might be gorgeous, and she might have that whole vampiric attraction thing going for her, and she might be stomach-churningly powerful in a world where women had so few rights… but that didn't mean she would win Vlad's heart. Erin would just have to make sure that it wasn't as easy as the vampiress seemed to think it would be.

Vlad, though, was making it difficult. All he seemed to do was lie to her, relying on Bertrand and even Jonno to help him out with his various complex plans to get rid of Adze rather than confiding in his girlfriend. When they did speak, they only fought, and Adze's triumphant expression each time she stumbled upon an argument was beginning to fade, as if even the vampiress was growing tired of it.

Ramanga's daughter had taken to seeking her out, lately, now that she was allowed out of that boring little room she'd been cooped up in, and Erin would have done almost anything for some time to herself.  
"Why are you always here? I thought we were at war, can't you go and annoy someone else?" She wasn't expecting Adze's hurt expression and downcast eyes.  
"There is nobody else." Then she was gone in a flurry of silk, leaving Erin feeling inexplicably guilty.

"You really ought to make more of an effort. The poor girl's bored out of her wits, no wonder she threw herself at Bertrand-"  
"What are you _talking_ about, Erin? She's the enemy, _she's_ the one I have to get rid of so we can be together." Vlad was looking at her like she was insane, and she supposed she could see his point. "If you're so keen on her having _friends_, you hang out with her." Then he stormed off in one direction and she stormed off in the other, the traditional end to all their conversations these days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Have a second chapter, because I'm feeling generous. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The show's not mine, the world's not mine, one day both of those things may change. *evil laugh***

"Princess Adze?" She felt ridiculous calling her 'princess', but it seemed best to be polite. She was invading the other girl's space, after all, by knocking on her door. She waited for an answer, surprised when the princess herself wrenched the door open.  
"What do you want?" She supposed she deserved that, after her rudeness earlier that day.  
"I thought maybe we could play cards?" She held up a deck, a peace offering, and was relieved when Adze stepped aside to let her in. She rubbed surreptitiously at her wrist, checking her pulse was still disguised. She was safe.

They played Snap, for a while, and then Adze got bored of that and offered to teach Erin to play Slam. It was a more complicated game, and each round ended in an often-violent race to slam your hand down on the smallest pile of cards. Erin could see why it would appeal to the vampire. As they played, they talked, and Erin realised she'd been hating all the wrong people for this engagement. Adze had no interest in Vlad, and even the prospect of becoming the most powerful vampiress on earth wasn't really helping the situation.  
"No offence, but I don't know how you can stand him. He's treated me like an object to be disposed of ever since I arrived. Still, I suppose he's different with you." It wasn't a question, thankfully. Erin wasn't sure how she'd answer.

"How come vampires are so far behind on feminism anyway? With girls like you and Ingrid around, you'd think vampiresses would be running the joint by now." That won her a tiny, sincere smile.  
"Ingrid, yes, she's formidable. I don't get as much freedom – I'm an only child, no little brother to distract my father." She sighed. "I'm flattered by the comparison." Erin frowned.  
"Well, so far, you're just as nice as Ingrid. And _we're_ supposed to be at war." Adze shrugged, an unprincess-like gesture that tugged at Erin's heartstrings for some reason.  
"Truth be told, it would be a relief if you won." Erin snorted mirthlessly.  
"Honestly, right now, you can have- ah!" She slammed her hand down at the same moment Adze did, and for a moment their fingers touched.

Erin recoiled, hand tingling, and Adze mirrored her movements, staring at her own elegant fingers.  
"You're warm. A breather?" Erin scrambled to her feet, nodding. "I thought my dad was lying. You have no pulse."  
"Stasis spray." Erin wasn't sure why she was still in the room, or why she was still alive for that matter, but Adze seemed content to stay where she was – collecting the smaller pile of cards – and eventually Erin sat down too, ready to continue the game.

"Why do you stay here, if you're not one of us?"  
"At first it was for my brother. Then it was for Vlad. Now…" Now she wasn't sure. Adze didn't comment on her silence, just nodded and began laying out cards again.  
"I owe you thanks, breather, for keeping me company." Erin frowned.  
"My name's Erin. And I'd rather you didn't mention the breather thing in front of anyone else." Adze shrugged.  
"Then you must call me Adze. None of this princess stuff. I hate it, it's so _boring_." Erin laughed.  
"Always wanted to be a knight, myself. Slaying dragons and rescuing people, far more fun."  
"I suppose to you, I am a dragon."

Before she could puzzle over that for too long, Renfield was ringing the bell for dinner and the game was abandoned. Somehow, on the way to the dining room, the two girls slipped back into their frosty silence, enemies once more. Erin was surprised to find herself saddened by that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Short chapter. I have now seen 4x04 and I swear, I wrote this on Sunday afternoon, before I'd seen it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, but I do take unhealthy delight in messing with their lives.**

"There's nothing for it, we're gonna have to stake her. Or kidnap her, or… Bertrand, maybe you could run off with her?" In fairness, Bertrand looked almost as appalled by this suggestion as Erin felt, but she rounded on the the three men all the same.  
"What is _wrong_ with you, Vlad? Just tell them you want to call it off. You're a bloke, you get to do that!" She'd been spending less time with them and more time with Adze over the last two weeks, it was true, but she hadn't realised she'd been absent long enough for things to get this extreme.

Bertrand and Jonno exchanged worried glances and suddenly remembered they had somewhere else to be as Vlad sighed.  
"Erin, do you _have_ to argue with every decision I make? This is for you, it's for us. This is what needs to happen."  
"Just tell him you don't want to marry her."  
"I can't risk offending Ramanga-"  
"So you'd rather drag Adze's name through the mud? Again? She's right, I don't know how I can stand you."  
"What do you mean, she's right? I thought-"  
"No, you know what, Vlad? Don't even bother trying to get out of this for me. We're done." She turned and fled, and he let her go.

She wasn't even aware of where she was going until the door opened under her knuckles.  
"I could hear the crying. What's happened, Erin?" Before she knew what was happening, she was throwing her arms around Adze, sobbing into her cloak as the vampiress brought her arms around to hold her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Quick update because I know these are very short chapters. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Erin didn't usually jump into bed with vampires like this. But Adze's coffin was large, and lined with silk, and filled with fine blankets and cushions and it had just seemed a comfortable enough place to sit as the princess guided her towards it. Adze had stood nearby as she sank down onto one of the pillows, but Erin had looked up at her, too emotionally exhausted to feel self-conscious, and patted the space beside her.  
"It's your coffin, you can't let me hog it." She'd found herself curled against the other girl, her head on her chest, while Adze ran her hands through her hair.  
"You have such beautiful hair; mine was never allowed to be so short." Erin shrugged.  
"I'm growing it out a bit. You should have seen it last year." Adze made a soft 'hmm' noise, continuing to stroke.  
"So what happened?" Somehow, it was easy to spill out the whole sorry story with the other girl making reassuring noises and muttering indignant curses at appropriate moments.

"I'm sorry," she said, when she'd finished, and Adze sat up a little further to look at her properly.  
"Why are you sorry?" Erin shrugged.  
"I suppose you'll have to marry him now." The princess chuckled.  
"You know, anyone else in the world would have assumed this was my plan all along." Erin blushed, suddenly aware that it would make perfect sense.  
"It wasn't?" Adze shook her head.  
"No. I just let my emotions get the better of me for a moment." She frowned. "That's never happened before."

They ended up talking for most of the night – mostly about Vlad, and how much of a pigheaded chauvinistic idiot he could be sometimes, but also, eventually, about Erin, and what her _dream_ partner would be like, and about Adze's childhood and what she would do with the power if she did end up marrying Vlad. By the time Erin fell asleep, the sun was beginning to rise, and Adze had had to close the curtains.


	5. Chapter 5

**Longer chapter! About three more after this. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Erin woke that evening in a pile of cushions, trapped in an enclosed space. She brought her hand up to meet lightly-cushioned wood, and pressed her hand against it anxiously. To her relief, it moved, and she managed to lift the coffin lid enough to let a little extra air in and get her bearings. The shaft of candlelight that crept through the opening illuminated the face of the beautiful vampiress whose arms she appeared to have fallen asleep in. Erin just stared for a second, entranced, until her eyes opened and she had to pretend she'd only just woken up.  
"Sorry. Coffin. Panicked." Adze opened the lid the rest of the way and smiled at her as they both sat up.  
"I hope you didn't find it too uncomfortable." Erin shook her head.  
"No, it was lovely. I'm sorry I fell asleep on you." Adze bit her lip.  
"Feel free to do it again any time… any time you need to, I mean." Erin smiled back at her.

They emerged into the corridor just in time to run into Vlad, deep in conversation with Bertrand.  
"Erin? What were you doing in there-?" The Chosen One trailed off. "…Aren't those yesterday's clothes?" Of course, the merest hint of scandal was enough to bring the whole household running. Ramanga appeared just seconds behind the Count, Ingrid not far behind, and they all stared at the two girls trapped in the doorway.  
"Adze, what have I told you? You can't afford to be indiscreet about your… persuasion here!" The Count turned on him.  
"You knew?"  
"Of course I knew! She's my daughter-"  
"And she'd rather be with my ex-girlfriend." Vlad spoke flatly, but he didn't seem as upset as Erin might have expected. "Well, looks like the engagement's off. Good luck, you two."  
"But Vladdy-" He cut his father off.  
"I could marry Bertrand, if you'd prefer. He's far more likely to accept the whole arrangement than either of those two." The Count stared, stunned, at his son, apparently trying to gauge whether he was joking or not. Behind Vlad, Bertrand looked just as interested in figuring it out. "Now can we just go about our business, please?" It was an order, thinly veiled, and the crowd dispersed.

Erin turned to her friend – yes, they were friends now, and it was hard to believe they could ever have been enemies – but Adze refused to meet her eye.  
"It's probably better if you go and get changed." With that, the princess withdrew into her room and shut the door firmly behind her. Erin made her way slowly towards her own room, pondering what she'd learnt today.

From what her father had said, it seemed that Adze preferred girls to guys. There was no problem there, as far as Erin was concerned; it was no business of hers who Adze chose to fall into her coffin with. And… alright, today _Erin_ had been the girl in her coffin, but that didn't mean anything. Except, apparently, it meant that the engagement was finally off. And possibly that Vlad was marrying Bertrand, although she thought that was probably a joke. Still, she'd known couples with less chemistry.

Now it seemed everyone thought she and Adze were an item, which was just ridiculous. Erin was a breather, a _slayer_ even, and Adze… well, Adze was a traditional vampire princess. A _beautiful_ traditional vampire princess. A beautiful traditional vampire princess who'd been there for her when they should have hated each other, who'd held her and stroked her hair and let her fall asleep on her… Who hadn't bitten her even though the stasis spray must have worn off hours ago… Who Erin had spent more time with lately than with her boyfriend… Who she'd _broken up with him_ for.

It seemed she had a lot to think about.


	6. Chapter 6

**So here's another chapter. Two more after this! Hope you're enjoying the story.**

**Disclaimer: I haven't gained the rights to Young Dracula since I posted chapter 1 about 24 hours ago, no.**

When she knocked on Adze's door in the middle of the night, she wasn't sure what she'd expected. What she hadn't expected was a cry of frustration and something being hurled at the door.  
"I'm nearly done, Dad, just go away!"  
"Um… it's me, Erin. Bad time?" There was a pause, then the door opened, Adze brushing at her eyes.  
"What do you want?" Erin blinked.  
"I'm wide awake, and, well, everyone else is busy, I thought we could hang out?"  
"Oh, well, if everybody else is busy." Adze's expression was sour as she stepped aside for Erin to enter the room. "I'm just packing, but you can stay if you must."

"Packing?" Erin looked around; a few of Adze's possessions had indeed been thrown into a case. "You're leaving?"  
"The engagement's off for good, so we're leaving. Well played, breather." Erin stared at her.  
"_What?"_ Adze glared at her, but she thought there was a hint of admiration there.  
"I don't know how you found out about my preference for women, but you used it to your advantage and now he's free to marry you. It was a good act, but you can drop it now." She turned to throw another cape into her case with unnecessary force, surprised when Erin caught her hand.

"It wasn't an act. I didn't know that would happen, and I didn't know you liked girls, I just… I liked spending time with you, and then when Vlad started talking about getting rid of you again I realised you were _right_, he's not worth it, and the only person I wanted to see was you because I knew somehow you'd look after me." Adze stared at her, incredulous gaze running down the slayer's arm to where her fingers were still wrapped around the princess' own.  
"We… you really just wanted to be my friend?" Erin nodded.  
"I still do. I… it doesn't bother me, if that's what you're worried about."

Adze met her eyes then, unable to keep the hope from her voice.  
"You still… it's alright?"  
"Would you really rather be with _me_, Adze?" The princess looked away, but Erin could wait her out, their hands still linked between them. She wanted an answer; somehow it seemed important. Eventually it came.  
"More than almost anything."  
"Then no, I don't want to still be friends. Not forever, anyway." The vampiress was taken aback, and Erin had to explain, stumbling over the words she wanted. "I mean… I literally just broke up with Vlad. I need some time, you know, to sort my head out."

Adze frowned.  
"And… then?" Erin shrugged.  
"Can't say I haven't noticed how amazing you are." She grinned self-consciously, and watched Adze's face mirror the expression.  
"I'm not amazing. You are. Friends, then?" The slayer nodded, paused, then asked the awkward question she suspected she didn't want the answer to.  
"Is there any way you can stay?" Adze shook her head.  
"Not without being invited. Dad wants me home and out of the way as soon as possible." Erin frowned for a moment, thinking.  
"I'll talk to Bertrand. He's our best bet. He'll convince Vlad it's important, no problem." She was halfway to the door again when a thought occurred. "Do you want an invite for your dad, too?"

The princess hesitated, then a mischievous glint appeared in her eye and Erin knew her answer before she even spoke.  
"I wouldn't want to keep him from his important business at home." The blonde grinned and continued to the door.  
"Just the one it is, then. Oh, and Adze?" The girl looked up from her case. "Pack slowly."


	7. Chapter 7

**Very short penultimate chapter. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Consider it disclaimed. I never claimed it but if I had I would be unclaiming it right now.**

Bertrand had come through for her, thankfully, just glad to see Vlad freed from the arranged marriage he'd hated the thought of so much. Erin had listened to the practice run of his argument with Vlad – all about diplomacy and smoothing things over and not offending Ramanga's clan – and then she'd let him disappear alone to try it for real. In the end, less than an hour passed between Erin knocking on Adze's door and Vlad doing the same thing to offer her a coffin room and a blood supply for as long as she cared to stay.

Ramanga was furious, of course, but the beauty of getting Bertrand to do the asking was that Vlad really, truly believed that refusing to keep the older vampire from his clan and duties for any longer was _polite_. Faced with such a generous gesture, Ramanga had been left with no option but to pack up his own possessions and return home without his daughter.

Erin found herself, a few weeks later, standing with Vlad on the balcony he'd nearly fried saving her from, gazing up at the night sky.  
"I really am sorry." She raised an eyebrow at him. "I was an idiot. Worse, I was horrible – to you, to Adze... Jonno, I suppose. Even Bertrand. I… yeah, I totally get why you broke up with me."  
"It's alright. I didn't really cut you much slack, with all the stress you were under…" They stood in companionable silence for a few more minutes.  
"Look, Erin, I know that thing with you and Adze turned out to be a misunderstanding. But I just wanted you to know I won't be upset if you do move on with someone. We weren't good for each other, at the end, and… well, it just-"  
"You want to know if it's alright for you to move on too." He frowned, turning away to stare up at the stars again. It was a while before he spoke.  
"Maybe. I mean… how do you know when a friend becomes, well, more than that?"

Erin frowned.  
"I suppose… if they're the most important thing to you, and they're there for you, and you want to make them happy when they're not… and something just _changes_. You just…" Her eyes widened. "_Know_. I have somewhere to be, sorry Vlad." She left him there confused and hurried back into the school.


	8. Chapter 8

**And so we come to the end. I hope you've enjoyed the story!**

**Disclaimer: Young Dracula isn't mine. It's sad, but it's true.**

Adze's door swung open and Erin smiled at her, holding up the deck of cards in her hand.  
"Slam?" They settled easily to the game, the echoes of their first game not lost on either of them. It took a while for Erin to work up the courage to broach the subject she'd wanted to talk about.  
"I talked to Vlad earlier." Adze tensed, and she realised she'd got the wrong idea. She put that one to rest quickly. "Don't worry, he seems to have come to terms with things. I think he's already eyeing up someone else, to be honest. Teenage boys and all that." The princess smiled, placing a flurry of cards and grabbing the pile she wanted. Erin shrugged and collected her cards; the piles hadn't been very different in size at any rate.  
"I'm glad he's happy. He's nicer when he's not trying to get rid of anyone."

Erin nodded, concentrating for a moment on the way Adze's hands darted over her cards; she'd discovered it was sometimes easier to just wait for the other girl to get rid of all her cards and then race her for the smaller pile regardless. They both pounced at the same time, hands colliding the way they had all that time ago, and this time neither one of them recoiled. Erin smoothed her thumb over the back of Adze's fingers, hoping the girl hadn't changed her mind.  
"And I think it's time I admitted how much I like you." The princess blinked, and Erin considered rephrasing, but then somehow she was leaning in over their hands, Adze leaning back to meet her as she pressed her warm lips to cool ones.

After a few long moments, they broke apart, Erin scanning the other girl's face for any signs of a reaction. For a second there was nothing, and then Adze _smirked_.  
"If you think that's going to distract me from the fact that I _won_ this round-" It seemed the sentence wasn't important enough to finish, because suddenly the princess was pulling her back into another kiss, and the game was soon forgotten entirely.

They were relaxing together in the comfort of Adze's coffin, just talking and kissing and holding hands, when the princess suddenly smiled to herself. Erin raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was thinking, and Adze reached out to tuck an errant strand of hair behind the slayer's ear as she explained.  
"Not the worst possible ending to a love triangle, I think." Erin grinned at her girlfriend.  
"I think this has to be the best." Then she kissed her again.

All was fair in love and war, and this was no longer a war.


End file.
